MD Ch 1 Part 1

【A gloomy, water-filled prison. The thick stench of blood hung heavy in the humid air. Yu Ke, clad in ragged clothes, had rusty iron nails driven through his palms. His blood dripped into the bone-chillingly cold water, each drop sending out tiny ripples.

The black iron chains connected to the nails were embedded in the dark stone walls on either side. Torture instruments, caked with dried blood, hung from hooks above.

Looking again, Yu Ke’s state was truly horrific. His long, greying hair hung down to his waist in a tangled mess. Scars and dried blood covered more than half of his face, making it impossible to discern his original features. Old and new wounds crisscrossed his chest and back, some so deep that his flesh was visible.

But these weren’t his most serious injuries.

Two azure iron chains, piercing his lungs, were submerged in the water. Each breath Yu Ke took was excruciating, and the blood he occasionally coughed up intensified the bloody stench permeating the prison.

His cultivation base completely crippled, Yu Ke clung to life with the strength of an ordinary man. If Song Qiyuan hadn’t kept him alive, he would have crossed the Yellow Springs long ago.

The water at his feet stirred, slowly parting to reveal pristine white boots, embroidered with dark cloud patterns. They were a stark contrast to his own pale, dirty, nail-pierced feet, fixed to the floor.

“Are you in pain?”

A man of ethereal beauty, dressed in white, his black hair simply held up with a hairpin instead of a formal crown, spoke. It was Song Qiyuan, wearing a benevolent smile that seemed out of place in the grim prison.

“..…”

At Yu Ke’s silence, Song Qiyuan’s expression changed. His voice turned sharp.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let you die so easily. I will repay the pain you inflicted on me, twofold.”】

 

I typed the final period. Satisfied with how ‘Song Qiyuan’s’ part turned out, I exhaled a long breath and smiled contentedly. Closing the word processor, I opened the group chat in my messenger and quickly typed a triumphant message.

 

[iamYuKe: lol I finally wrote my own death!]

[Little Hero: …Are you really trying to die?]

[Brother Woo: Your imagination is amazing.]

[Poison Candy: What am I gonna do with you. Hilarious lol.]

[Blue Sky: Not bad. That’s very Yu Ke-like.]

[Returner: Good idea. That’s so Yu Ke.]

 

Seeing the screen filled with [Not bad. That’s very Yu Ke-like.], I kicked back in my chair and laughed.

The thought of my beloved protagonist striking back in the next part of the story made me incredibly happy.

Originally, I hadn’t planned to use my name for the villain, but when I first outlined the plot, I wanted to strongly emphasize the presence of this character who occupied the very top of the pyramid. So, to enhance the immersive experience, I started using my name, and every time I typed it, I felt a thrill.

However, up until now, the villain had constantly tormented the protagonist, and as time passed, I felt increasingly uneasy about my precious, son-like protagonist being abused by my namesake character for the sake of the story.

I was so excited to finally write the part where the protagonist strikes back that I could barely keep my hands on the keyboard!

After laughing for a while, I suddenly felt a tightness in my chest, followed by a familiar, heavy pain.

‘Crap! This is bad. I got too excited!’

Clutching my chest, I slowly tried to regulate my breathing and reached for the pill bottle on the table. The pain in my heart intensified, making me dizzy. Biting my lip, I opened the bottle and poured the contents into my hand.

Empty.

D*mn it!!!

I suddenly remembered that I’d been cooped up in my house for days, glued to the keyboard. I had run out of pills long ago and hadn’t gotten any more.

As the pain in my chest became unbearable, my limbs began to weaken. My vision blurred, the computer doubled, and the room started spinning.

My eyes rolled back, and I collapsed onto the floor.

 

* * *

 

I woke up from the brief blackout, jolted awake by the pain.

Scientific research categorizes pain into 12 levels. Childbirth is a level 12, equivalent to being kicked in the groin 60 times.

The reason I’m bringing this up is because my entire body feels like it’s been kicked in the groin 60 times!

This hurts like hell, damn it!

As I gritted my teeth against the pain, a chill ran through me, and I started shivering.

Could it be that my heart condition has… metastasized?

My eyelids felt glued shut. I inhaled, and the thick stench of blood mixed with the salty smell of stale water filled my nostrils. Disgusted, I opened my mouth, and an unknown liquid poured out.

For a moment, I felt like my soul had left my body…

Panicked by the feeling of suffocating, I forced myself to focus. I took a deep breath and tried to open my eyes to figure out what was going on.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let you die so easily. I will repay the pain you inflicted on me, twofold.”

??!!!!!

I finally managed to pry my eyes open, only to find something caked and dried on my eyelids. Gritting my teeth against the searing pain in my palms, feet, and chest, I lifted my head and met the gaze of the person standing before me.

Dressed in white robes embroidered with cloud patterns, his hair pulled back with a jade hairpin, his jawline elegant… His cold eyes stared at me as if he wanted to flay my skin and rip out all my tendons.

Who else could it be but Song Qiyuan?

I swallowed the blood-tinged saliva with difficulty and looked around, suddenly overwhelmed by despair.

The water prison, the torture instruments, the wretched villain, and the protagonist about to strike back—the whole situation registered at once.

D*mn it, I’m inside my own novel. And not even the cool first half, but the latter half where the protagonist subjects me to all sorts of torture and abuse.

What have I done?

Looking at the ruthless face of my precious, son-like protagonist, my head dropped, and my eyes closed. This is horrific.

The moment my eyes closed, Song Qiyuan stepped closer, grabbed my chin, and forced my head up. Terrible rage burned in his dark eyes.

“Yu Ke, why did you annihilate my family?”

Ugh. I don’t know! I-It was just a plot device! To make the protagonist stand out, the story needed a tragic backstory and a target for revenge. That’s the only reason I came up with the whole family annihilation thing.

My dear protagonist, I was wrong. Can I change it now?

His eyes held not only fury, but also a deep, raw loneliness and sorrow. His unspoken anguish was heart-wrenching.

Unable to bear his gaze, I quickly looked away.

“Answer me.”

A wave of excruciating pain washed over me, and I wanted to scream, but my jaw felt shattered, and only a groan escaped my lips.

My jaw!

The intense pain brought tears to my eyes, and I felt the warmth trickle down my blood-crusted cheeks. I rarely cried.

My tear-filled eyes met Song Qiyuan’s.

“Uuuh! Mmmph! (How am I supposed to answer with a broken jaw! Song Qiyuan! You’re too cruel!)”

Song Qiyuan scoffed.

“If you don’t want to talk, then don’t. Your voice disgusts me anyway.”

I want to talk!

Song Qiyuan released my jaw and yanked on the chains piercing my lungs. He only stopped after I’d coughed up several mouthfuls of blood.

“Ugh!”

“Yu Ke. Your life is in my hands, and you will not die.

I will repay you for the pain of my family’s destruction, for severing my meridians, for cutting off my hands and feet, and for blinding me. You can look forward to it.”

Glaring at me with pure hatred, Song Qiyuan flicked his sleeves and left.

The water in the prison parted automatically, creating a path for him without soiling his boots.

“Haagh… aghh!”

I struggled to breathe as another wave of pain wracked my body. As Song Qiyuan departed and the prison door slowly closed, a surge of injustice welled up inside me.

Someone please tell me who this crazy bastard is?

Give me back my cute protagonist!

 

* * *